Without snow you definitely won’t be able to build a snowman, especially without Elsa. Without the arctic ice, neither can you sustain the polar bears.
I guess that that should be pretty darned obvious, but then let’s just think about it a bit. It’s not as if polar bears are as cute as Olaf, but then the world just won’t be the same without them. They’re not grizzlies who subsist on deer, elk, dead animals, insects and berries. Neither are they related to Winnie the Pooh who can make do without pants just as long as he has honey. Polar bears need thousands of calories per day to live and their diet consists of lots and lots of fish, as well as ginormous seals.
So it should erase any doubt in your mind that polar bears are on top of the food chain, unless you feel like ending up as polar bear fodder, that is. With the polar ice melting, the polar bears’ way of life is not just changing, their lives are in jeopardy, and we’re not referring to the game show.
Such were the findings of a study done by the US Geological Service, Washington State University and conservation group Polar Bear International. The study team found out that polar bears were spending more time on land, rather than on ice where they belong. Furthermore, the study showed that there wasn’t enough food for them on land. After all, there aren’t enough seals nor fish on land, or are there?
In any case, the researchers believe that more quantitative studies need to be done on the feeding habits of polar bears before making conclusions about their viability as a species. But then, why should we wait? You can build a snowman next time it snows, but can you reconstruct the polar bears when the ice caps reappear? I doubt it.
